Posts by Tom Johnston

I have bemoaned on many occasions the fact that we Brits are so unimaginative in our veg cookery. Unadorned, often unseasoned, boiled vegetables are not only depressing, they scream of a cook who, quite frankly my dear, doesn’t give a damn. While Christmas Day requires tradition, there’s no reason why old favourites can’t be given…

Continuing the kale theme from Wednesday’s On The Side column, I’m indebted to the Trotters. To Christopher, without whom I would probably have continued to body swerve its mineral rich loveliness, and who has kindly allowed me to reproduce some of his recipes: and to Caroline, for almost all of the photos. (Observant readers will…

I asked readers for some other Christmas recipes. My good friend, celebrated artist Michael Greenlaw, answered the call. The only problem is that as he is wintering in the Algarve, hearty stews and steamed puddings aren’t on his mind. Still these sound like crackers, so that’s Christmassy enough for me. Coincidentally I was thinking about…

Stephen Harris After Stir-up Sunday in this week’s On The Side, what else could I feature today? I am both grateful to, and traumatised by, Stephen Harris of The Sportsman in Kent. For some years I have been making my own Christmas pud, using a recipe which appeared in The Telegraph some years ago. His recipe makes two…

Having mentioned tiramisu in Wednesday’s On The Side, it seemed rude to let it pass by today’s column. Sadly, it has become a bit of a cliché. You are unlikely to find many dessert menus in Italian restaurants from which it’s absent. Yet the reason dishes become so ubiquitous is that they sell well. Put…

In On The Side on Wednesday we featured Coasts & Waters, the latest cook book from the prolific pen of Christopher Trotter. Many thanks to Christopher for permission to reproduce these two excerpts. The first is an interesting fish curry; the second is a fine explanation of a skill which many have struggled to master,…

Begin with your Banneton Now, whatever you do, don’t misread the title. It does not say An Idiot’s Guide To Sourdough. Such articles with their condescending titles are produced by experts who have decided to descend from Mount Olympus to impart a little wisdom to mere mortals such as you and me. Armed with their erudition, we will…

A bit like Lord Reith’s BBC my mission has been both to entertain and to educate. The problem is that you were the ones who were intended to be educated, not me. Mind you, I consider my weekly Italian lesson a failure if my teacher hasn’t learned something new: similarly, the amount of knowledge I’ve…

As I said on Wednesday, you can do anything (well, anything that’s legal, decent, truthful and honest – this column has standards) with jalapeños that you could do with most other chillies. You’ll all have your own favourites, so let’s travel a little. Firstly, snacking in the States. Some years ago my eldest offspring was…